Astros’ dynastic aspirations a tall order

1of 3Houston Astros Alex Bregman (2) reacts after striking out during the third inning of Game 5 of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, in Houston.Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

2of 3For the Astros to get to where they ultimately want to go — a string of championships — Alex Bregman likely will have to be along for the glorious ride.Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

3of 3It was a painful end to the season for the injured Jose Altuve. But the good news for him during 2018 was a lucrative contract extension that will allow him to lead future Astros playoff runs.Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

This is the hardest part.

Not winning the first World Series in franchise history during the year of Hurricane Harvey.

Not recording a team-record 103 regular-season wins while overcoming another round of trade-deadline drama.

And definitely not falling 4-1 to a better team in a league championship series.

The Chicago Cubs accomplished that feat last season, when Major League Baseball’s then-reigning champions failed to repeat, just like the 2018 Astros did.

The hardest part: Pushing a massive rebuild to the final dynasty stage.

“It’s hard to get October wins,” said manager A.J. Hinch, after the Boston Red Sox ended the Astros’ season in Game 5. “The American League was incredibly, incredibly good, and especially at the top levels, when you talk about the teams that made the playoffs. So to run the gauntlet in one year is an incredible accomplishment. To do it again is — it feels like even harder.”

The Cubs have fallen short in back-to-back seasons after ending a 108-year drought. No one in baseball has repeated since the 1998-2000 Yankees — and ring-driven New York has been knocked out of the playoffs the last two seasons by the Astros and Red Sox.

MLB void of dynasties

Since the Yankees’ 2000 title, only the San Francisco Giants and Boston have won more than two championships. San Francisco has finished below .500 during three of the last six seasons, though, and was never a 162-game powerhouse during its recent title run.

The Red Sox will win their fourth title since 2004 if they capture the upcoming World Series, but Boston thus far has only won one championship since 2008 and was characterized by playoff disappointment entering this year.

During this era of wild cards and play-in games, there are no dynasties in modern MLB. The against-the-grain Astros are trying to change that.

“In today’s age, you’ve got the superteams everywhere,” said Astros ace Justin Verlander, who needed 13 seasons to win his first world title. “You’ve got three 100-win teams in the American League alone. It’s hard. … You look at some of these teams, man, it’s just unbelievable who you’re going up against.”

The depth of the Astros’ 2011-14 rebuild was validated with the team’s triumphant 2017 world title. But the real vision from day one was highlighted by multiple championships and annual playoff appearances, not a single trophy for a franchise that had been waiting for national recognition since 1962.

The Astros have made the playoffs in three of their four years under Hinch, averaging 93 wins a season and producing the best back-to-back run in franchise history the last two years. General manager Jeff Luhnow, 2017 AL MVP Jose Altuve and Hinch all received major contract extensions in 2018. The names and talent are already in place for another title run next season.

But 103 wins didn’t beget a championship this year, the Astros were hammered by the Red Sox when it counted, and Hinch’s team enters another critical offseason facing multiple question marks.

The last time it was like this: October 2016, which led to the signing of key veterans, eventually pushed the Astros to a last-minute trade for Verlander and created a title season that will be passed on to the next generation of Houstonians.

“I’d more than love to be back here. I’ve made that known since day one,” said Dallas Keuchel, who played through two 100-plus loss seasons, won the 2015 AL Cy Young and is 76-63 with a 3.66 ERA with the Astros. “I’ve given my heart and soul for seven full years and I don’t know. This is the opportunity of a lifetime and if you’re fortunate enough to be in a position, you’d be a fool not to test the waters.

“It’s early, but I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’ll think about that probably in the next week or two. I would love to be back here. This team is special, and they’ve got a few guys who could be here for the long haul and I’d like to stay in this locker room, but I don’t know.”

Keuchel is set to become a free agent when the World Series ends. Marwin Gonzalez, Charlie Morton, Brian McCann, Evan Gattis and Tony Sipp also could be playing for new teams in 2019.

Altuve underwent knee surgery the day after the Red Sox eliminated the Astros. Lance McCullers Jr.’s status for next season is uncertain until the team clears up the mystery surrounding his health.

If Keuchel leaves and McCullers is on the mend in 2019? There’s a chance the once prospect-driven Astros won’t have a single frontline starter produced by the team’s farm system next year.

That doesn’t have to be a bad thing: The Red Sox, Yankees and Dodgers have thrived in recent years on mix-and-match rotations highlighted by free-agent acquisitions and trade prizes.

Multiple titles the goal

The New England Patriots are the NFL’s modern dynasty.

Since 2014-15, the NBA has been chasing the superteam Golden State Warriors.

The Astros added Gerrit Cole to a championship club, then hit an October wall. When Luhnow’s creation won a world title ahead of schedule, the Red Sox pried away Hinch’s former bench coach. Alex Cora then called the right shots during a 4-1 Boston triumph that canceled the Astros’ back-to-back tour.

The hardest part remains.

Get the offseason right again. Stay ahead of an old-fashioned sport that keeps changing. Improve the year after winning a franchise-record 103 games.

Brian T. Smith is a sports columnist for the Houston Chronicle. He was a Houston Texans beat writer from 2013-15 and an Astros beat writer from 2012-13. The New Orleans-area native previously covered the NBA's Utah Jazz (The Salt Lake Tribune) and Portland Trail Blazers (The Columbian), among other beats. He loves music, books, movies, history, nature, coffee and steak.